


A Near Meeting

by MagnanimousTwit



Series: A Ben and Roman Adventure [3]
Category: Benedict Cumberbatch - Fandom, British Actor RPF
Genre: Coffee, F/M, Strangers, Texting, close encounters, what's this? actual plot?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-12
Updated: 2013-07-12
Packaged: 2017-12-19 05:31:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/879999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnanimousTwit/pseuds/MagnanimousTwit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After so long and Benedict wanting to meet Roman, he gets very close. But at least now he knows her face.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Near Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Please check out my tumblr: http://magnanimoustwit.tumblr.com/
> 
> I take one-shot requests and really, really appreciate prompts. If you use tumblr you're better off following me there.

Chapter 3

How could it be months? Nearly three since Ben first got the phone number of that sinfully wonderful woman. Roman, who was so perfect for him. Who went to see a play and snapped a picture to send, bragging; who kept his head cool when he had breakdowns over lines, not knowing what he was doing but knowing exactly what to say; who sent him sweet messages, saying she hoped he was well, or that he should have a good night’s rest, or that she was thinking of him.

Three months and they were closer than he’d ever been with someone in more ways than one. There were still days were there texts got racy and their Skype calls were erotic. Ben was forever shocked at his capability not to ruin it, or his inability to get bored with her. Impossible – she was fantastic.

Yet he didn’t know her last name. Not what her face looked like other than a soft mouth with puckered lips. He knew she was in London for sure from pictures she would send and things she just knew, but where in London? Ben knew her age as well, and she knew his, but was that too much for anything to carry on between them?

Could things ever carry on between him and Roman? Ben wanted them to, but where was his nerve? It was all spent on the days he exposed himself to her gladly, none left after to just ask her to meet him. He liked her, he fawned for her, he might even love her. No, that was stupid – that was what movies were made of, and never to good kind.

But he thought about her obsessively. It was hard not to when their daily lives weaved together. She’d text him a joke, he’d tell her something he thought was interesting, or so on. Today, as he was working on the set of Sherlock, she sent him a picture. Nothing terribly racy, just her legs tossed over the side of her bath tub, bubbles filling it. ‘ _I’ll be relaxing while you work your butt off_.’ She had said.

Little things like that, making Ben smile and chuckle and want to coddle the woman he’d yet to truly meet.

“Oh my God, I didn’t know you had a girlfriend!” Came a sudden shout, and the phone was pulled from his hand. Martin.

Of course the call interested people, but Ben couldn’t have them looking. Not at his Roman. Though he did often delete messages to keep his phone clean, he had a folder of all her pictures, the ones he thought worth saving. They could not see those.

“Martin, please.” Benedict said as Amanda came to her partner’s side.

“Got one of her face?” Martin asked.

He jumped forward and got the phone from his friend and co-star. Ben was having a mild panic attack, heart in his throat. That could have been very bad. Of course his action got him questioned, but he diverted. He couldn’t tell the truth, that they hadn’t officially met, but he certainly couldn’t lie and call the beauty his girlfriend, so he said nothing.

That night her and Ben only texted. They had a conversation, which was what most of their time was spent doing anyway. In their monogamy, accidental as it was, they’d only played together six times. But when he asked about her day and she said she went shopping, Ben couldn’t resist.

‘ _Any new knickers? –Ben_ ’

The response was quick. ‘ _A 5pack of granny panties –XOXO Roman_ ’

He was laughing at the concept. Roman, wearing larger underwear than he’d ever seen. Their adventures were full of small bikini style knickers, with frills or lace, and one time strawberry print, but they were still small. At the same time, Ben thought maybe he’d love to see that. It also meant they weren’t revealing.

‘ _Good._ ’ He typed out. ‘ _Don’t let anyone see anything. –Ben_ ’

‘ _Jealous if I do? –XOXO Roman_ ’

‘ _Absolutely –Ben_ ’ After he sent it, he realized he was incredibly jealous of others already – who got to see her, talk to her, know her face and last name. Before she could answer him, he sent off one more message. ‘ _Would you meet me if I asked?_ ’

It felt like an eternity of silence between sending that, and receiving a response. ‘ _I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone online. I just don’t know. –XOXO Roman_ ’

He could understand. It was about trust, but he trusted her. He hoped she had never lied. ‘ _Me either, I understand. Sorry. –Ben_ ’

‘ _I do really care about you though. I love our talks. Nobody else likes when I rant about seeing a squirrel. –XOXO Roman_ ’

‘ _I care for you too. And your squirrel story. –Ben_ ’ He chuckled to himself.

They carried on for an hour after that, in a fluster of texts somehow talking about household pets they didn’t have.

When they were saying goodnight, he got one more message after her goodbye. ‘ _Maybe we should stop with Skype. You deserve to be loved, not used. –XOXO Roman_ ’

He wasn’t upset. Not heartbroken. They’d still talk. Ben just wanted to meet her more, which was pathetic of him in a way. She’d just said she was using him, and he couldn’t keep her out of his mind. He didn’t respond for a while, but when he did it was short.

‘ _So do you. –Ben_ ’

After that the texting was less often for a while. Two weeks, maybe, he got messages in short spurts. Little hellos, maybe a joke, but they never had full, long conversations. He got more texts during work than anything, and he thought maybe she texted then so that Ben couldn’t answer more than once or twice.

Then they were full force again. Ben had gone to a book event and thought she’d like the convention hall. He sent her a picture, and it spurred the longest conversation in the entirety of their friendship. She was jealous and cursing him out, which only made him laugh. When he went home he showed her the books he bought. She responded with a sad picture of half empty bookshelves, saying ‘ _Fuck you_.’

They stuck to the whole no Skype deal for a long time. But Roman got around that. Two months later, five months since they started talking, Benedict was picking up coffee intending to go, waiting for his order. He’d fixed his sunglasses over his face and hoped his hooded sweatshirt was a good enough disguise from fans. He was leaning against the wall waiting for his coffee when his phone buzzed.

‘ _I’m in a public coffee shop_.’ Roman had texted, along with a picture of a coffee cup. ‘ _And I forgot to put on a bra_.’ Then there was a photo of her breasts. From below, shirt pulled out obviously, light shining through so he could see the lower swell of her chest and the small peaks of her nipples.

Benedict rubbed his hand over his mouth, far from unaffected. It had been a long time since he’d seen her body, though he still had older pictures to fuel any fantasy he may have of her. Then his order was called and he panicked, scrolling up on the message so it was just the picture of her coffee lest anyone see his phone.

He was about to go when he looked back at the picture and recognized the cardboard coffee cup. Not only that, but the shop. This shop. Ben stopped with the cup to his mouth, then quickly sat down. He looked up and around the shop through his sunglasses.

Then across the room in the same print shirt as the second picture was a young woman. One that matched twenty-seven years old, with dark wavy hair in a ponytail, her fingertips running over the edge of her cup as she looked fondly at her phone. Was that really Roman? Ben didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t go over there.

Looking down at his phone, his heart was pounding hard with nerves. ‘ _I think we’re in the same café. –Ben_ ’ After he sent it, he stared out the corner of his eye at the woman.

He heard the faint beep. Suddenly she was looking around and he caught sight of her face, completely. Same full lips, painted red like he knew them, but he’d never seen the slope of her nose, the blue of her eyes, or her long lashes. Now he knew Roman’s face and he wanted more than anything to go over to her.

Except she was picking up her coffee and going to the door. Ben had to admit, that hurt. He stood slowly and decided he should leave like he planned. Just as he went out the same doors, telling himself not to look for her, his phone went off.

‘ _I’m sorry. I can’t meet you after that picture. How tacky is that? –XOXO Roman_ ’

He kept one eye on where he was going as he texted her. ‘ _Then why send it? –Ben_ ’ He was feeling a bit pensive, slightly sullen. After hitting send he though it may come off as rude because text didn’t convey feeling.

‘ _I don’t know. I thought it’d be okay. –XOXO Roman_ ’

He got to his car and sat in the driver’s seat for a moment. ‘ _Are you using me again? I thought I deserved love. Though you make being used fun. –Ben_ ’

‘ _You do deserve love_.’ The message came quick, no signature.

‘ _Then love me, do._ ’ He pleaded and wished he could reach out and stop that text from sending, a second too late.

‘ _Quoting the Beatles?_ ’ She responded. Ben groaned at his unintentional stupidity and rested his head on the steering wheel. More like hit his head against it. Then his phone beeped again. ‘ _If you’ve been honest with me, I do. But I don’t know just yet if that means I trust you._ ’

Suddenly he was a child. Ben gave a small cheer and felt like an idiot. It was a pessimistic message, if anything, but it was there. The slight confirmation that after five months she had feelings for him. Realizing he was wasting time just sitting there in infantile glee, he was very quick to type.

‘ _I am. I have been. I know that it’s stupid to trust me, but please do. And if you have questions I’ll explain myself, I swear. Please meet me, please._ ’

‘ _Maybe soon, not today. I’m sorry. –XOXO Roman_ ’

His glee calmed, taking that slight worry that actually felt good with it. ‘ _I understand. Another day. –Ben_ ’ He didn’t have the nerve that she had to admit he might love a woman over texts. But he was very glad to know how she felt.


End file.
